Silence Demons
by Anya Maygo
Summary: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!  *gasp*  Okay, I decided I wanted my own character in this setting, but my favorite character's already taken, so I'm improvving a potential storyline. Sesshomaru won't know what hit him!
1. The Start of Something Crazy

**_The Start of Something...Crazy_**

* * *

My name's Lorinda. My life was perfectly normal up until I hit high school. Everyone calls me Lori, but I didn't mind. My only friend was Kagome. She was cool, especially since when we were seen by boys, they paid quicker attention to her than to me.

Then one night, something came into my room. I didn't see it very well…all I remember is, I woke up, saw red eyes and started screaming. Then almost-skeletal, clawed hands closed around my neck.

I…don't remember much after that, other than pain so intense that I passed out. In the morning, I looked into the mirror and saw that my attacker had left red handprints on my neck.

Oh yeah: and I couldn't speak – at all. If it was a sound from my throat, I couldn't make it. I could still whistle – boys teased me for that, but I never stopped – but that was the only sound I could really make.

Everyone after that thought I'd run off and committed suicide. I just couldn't fit in with the rest of the world after that.

Kagome knew the truth, though; the simple truth was, I'd run away. I still see her, sometimes, though…she doesn't appear that much. She keeps disappearing somewhere.

We'd worked up a kind of system so that I could speak to her. It was a little like charades, and I sometimes had to over-act. Who cares?

Those marks hadn't disappeared, by the way; I was stuck wearing a scarf, even when it wasn't the weather for it, and the marks were still sensitive.

* * *

Finally, several months after my voice disappeared, I saw her again. She was walking around the stores, leading somebody with long white hair and a black hat. Was that a boy?

I reached for my whistle - my own whistle isn't loud enough to be heard across traffic - and blew it hard. (I was on the other side of the street from her.)

The boy reacted first – he looked across the street at me.

_**Kagome**_

"Kagome? Who's that?"

"Hm?" I tried to find who Inuyasha was pointing at. Then I suddenly heard it: a loud whistle. Staring across the street, I saw her: a brown-haired girl wearing a green scarf. As soon as she saw I was looking at her, she started waving crazily.

"Lori!" I yelled, waving back. "Come over here!" She ran all the way over, dodging through traffic, and all but jumped me in a big hug. "Hey, watch it! I get it, you missed me!"

Then she bounced back and gave me a glare that was so over-the-top that it had to be a put-on. She was saying something. Let's see…

"Um…where have I been?"

She nodded, still giving me this accusatory look.

"Long story, Lori, very long. Lori, this is Inuyasha; Inuyasha, Lori. She can't speak, so be nice."

She turned and held out her hand.

"Whatever."

Lori stayed like that for a little bit. Then she just lowered her hand and looked at me. Her big eyes were screaming that whatever she did next, it would be a question. It wasn't quite charades what she did next: she pointed with her thumb at Inuyasha, and then turned away from him with her nose in the air, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeve.

I just started laughing. "Yeah, he's always brushing people off like that. Sometimes he's worse."

The stare I got had me laughing harder. Her stare was just announcing, "You've got to be kidding me!"

Suddenly, I noticed Inuyasha leaning a little closer to her, sniffing with a look of concentration on his face. "Um…Inuyasha? What is it?"

"Something doesn't smell right about her. How long have you known her?"

"Several years now," I answered, glancing at Lori's nervous face. "Why?"

"And how long was she unable to speak?"

"Only since...just after I started going down the well." I thought I could see where this was going, but I wasn't sure.

Lori started giving me this look; this "What's going on that you're not telling me?" look.

Suddenly, Inuyasha grabbed hold of her scarf! "How long has she had this for a fashion statement?"

"I don't know! I don't see her that much anymore!"

She grabbed hold of his wrist, getting him to look at her. The look on her face was something like…maybe "If you pull on this, I'm going to kill you." Either that, or "I'm right here, stop talking around me."

If that was what she was trying to say, I was sorry, too. "How long _have _you been wearing that scarf, anyway, Lori?"

She pointed at me.

"Um…something I said just now?"

She nodded.

I went over what I'd said so far. "Since…I started jumping down the well?"

She nodded again.

"Thought so," and Inuyasha reached up with his other hand and tugged her scarf away from her neck.

I was going to protest at his treatment of my friend, but my protest died on my lips: there were two red marks on her neck that looked like handprints!

Lori just looked like she was in extreme discomfort from the scarf pushing on the edges of the handprints, and also had an expression that seemed to say "My secret's out."

"Those marks haven't disappeared in months?" I asked, trying to grasp this. She just shook her head. I almost felt insulted. "Why didn't you tell me about this? Or sign to me, or whatever?" Lori held up two fingers. "Two reasons?" She nodded. Then, after holding up only one finger, she started an exaggerated staring around, her way of pretending to have trouble seeing something. "Um…reason one, you – no, _I_ haven't been around." Lori nodded again.

That was enough to make me feel guilty. But Inuyasha suddenly asked, "So what's the second reason, anyway?" I think he just wanted to see how she showed this one.

She just looked at me, cocking an eyebrow. Then she set one hand against her chest and her other hand just brushed against her temple – her typical sign when she was trying to imply "belief." "Um…you couldn't believe it happened?" She shook her head, pointed at me, and then repeated the move. "You – you thought _I _wouldn't believe _you_?" All she did was drop the gesture and stare at her shoes.

I just looked at her in silence for a minute. Finally, I said truthfully, "If you'd found a way to tell me back when this first happened, I probably wouldn't have believed you. But now, I've seen too much crazy stuff to not believe whatever you say."

"Huh."

I turned to snap, "Don't give me that!"

_**Lori**_

I just cocked my head. Inuyasha and Kagome were arguing like my parents used to.

And Inuyasha was still holding my scarf. It was still kind of on my neck, but he still had it in his hand. I think he forgot he was holding it. I cleared my throat, glad that it was a sound I could still make.

Well, both of them looked at me, anyway. I tugged the scarf, and Inuyasha let go. Then I pointed to him, tapped my forehead, and then pointed at the marks on my neck, cocking an eyebrow.

Kagome translated, looking at me for confirmation. "Inuyasha, do you recognize the marks?"

After I nodded, Inuyasha shook his head. "Sango would know more about these things than I would."

Somehow, I suspected that cost him a lot to say.

* * *

When we got to Kagome's house, I found some paper and wrote out a message to Kagome. "_Is there a way to ask this Sango if she knows what attacked me?_"

"Well…she'd have to see your marks. That would involve her coming here…"

"Which she can't do," Inuyasha added almost snidely.

"…Or you going there."

"_There?_"

"Across the well, to feudal Japan."

This wouldn't have made any sense to me, if she hadn't told me what was going on, up to and including that Inuyasha was half dog-demon.

"_Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!_" As soon as I gave that note to her, I grabbed my pencil and paper and started walking for the shrine in the back.

"Are you nuts?" Kagome yelled after me. "It's dangerous over there!"

Then I did something I wouldn't have done if I had my voice: I flashed an "f*ck that!" sign back at them as I walked.

Kagome sounded shocked. "Was that…what I thought it was?"

And Inuyasha…laughed! Then he suddenly was in front of me! "I think I like you, Lori!" He grabbed my scarf and spun me around behind him, making me crash into his back. I only barely managed to grab hold of his shoulders before he grabbed Kagome, ran into the shrine, and leaped into the well.

The first thing I noticed when we hit bottom was that when I looked up, I could see sunlight.

Kagome looked back at us. "I'll go up first, to warn the others that we have a visitor. Inuyasha, you tell her about who's up there." Then she started climbing up a vine.

For about two seconds, all we could do was look at each other. Then he finally started talking. "Well…Sango's a demon-hunter. Besides Kagome, she's the only other female."

Before he could really go on, Kagome looked down at us. "Okay, we're ready up here!"

"Hold tight!"

Inuyasha barely gave me time to do that before he bounded up out of the well in one jump!

I was so busy staring at all the trees that I almost didn't notice the people standing around. Then Kagome reminded me. "Everyone, this is Lori. Lori, these are Sango, Kirara, Shippo, and Miroku."

Glancing around at each person as she named them, I saw a tough girl with a gigantic boomerang on her back and a cat with two tails on her shoulder, a little fox-boy with a fluffy tail, and a…monk with a staff. At least, I _think _he was a monk; he was giving me a strange look.

A strange enough look for me to be hiding behind Inuyasha. I recognized the look, after all; it was a stronger version of what most guys give Kagome when they don't notice I'm there.

Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at me and laughed. "What? Come on, get out here!"

_You really like seeing people squirm, don't you?_

Suddenly, he just leaped from in front of me and landed closer to Kagome, leaving me standing in front of the well…wishing I could just jump back in. I glared at him, wishing I had a voice so I could give him a piece of my mind!

Then Sango walked over. "Well, let's see these marks."

_Thank God, a distraction._ I pulled my scarf down and lifted my chin.

After studying them, Sango looked at the others and said, "She got attacked by a silence-demon. The only real sign of what they look like normally are the marks they leave on their victims. They steal the voices of singers and use their victim's appearance and voice to lure people to their deaths."

_So some creepy demon is using my face and voice to kill people?_ That didn't make me feel very good.

Shippo spoke from his vantage point of Miroku's shoulder. "So Lori's a good singer?"

"That's the only reason a silence-demon would come after her."

I stared at my shoes. I _was _a good singer, before my voice was stolen.

Suddenly, someone with long sleeves and a covered right hand came over and caught up both my hands. "Don't despair, we will find the beast that stole your voice."

I glanced up at Miroku. He was trying to look earnest, or at least sympathetic to my state. But he wasn't succeeding very well.

Kagome asked Sango, "There…_is _a way to get her voice back to her, right?"

"The…short answer is yes."

I turned away from Miroku, pulling one hand away to hold out a long trailing end of my scarf, staring at Kagome.

She noticed, anyway. After studying what I was doing, she asked, "So what's the long answer?"

"It's…complicated."

_That figures._

"Basically, the only way to get the voice back is to kill the demon."

"That sounds simple," Inuyasha remarked. What, did he kill things as a matter of course?

...Probably.

"What's _not _simple is _returning _the voice. In order for it to get from the demon to the victim…the simplest method is just to have the victim be the one to kill the demon, because the voice goes to whoever kills it."

"And…if it isn't the victim?" Miroku asked. He sounded a little too eager to find out, if you ask me.

"Well, they have to avoid making a sound until they've returned the voice to the victim; otherwise, they're stuck with the victim's voice. And…" She looked sidelong at me. "And returning the voice…whoever killed the demon has to…"

_She's hesitating. She must be pretty sure I won't like it._ I waved my hand at her, in the "go on" signal.

So she just plowed ahead and finished the sentence. "Whoever kills the demon has to kiss the victim before making any sound of their own."

I stared at her. So did everyone else. _She's right; I don't like this. I don't have a boyfriend, but that's because handsome guys make me nervous! And I'm not about to kiss a girl!_

_Oh, this will be fun._


	2. Occupational Hazard

**_Occupational Hazard_**

* * *

_**Lori**_

Oh, joy. I haven't even been looking too hard for a boyfriend, and here I needed to be kissed by a boy just to get my voice back! Killing the demon on my own, whenever we found the thing, was out of the question, because I couldn't _possibly_ kill _myself_!

Then I glanced at Inuyasha. I knew what I wanted to ask, but Inuyasha wasn't as familiar with my signing yet. Hop-skipping away from Miroku, I stared at Kagome to get her attention. Once I received it, I started trying. Keeping my eyes big – my typical question – I pointed at Inuyasha, tapped my nose, and then pointed at the marks on my neck, which I hadn't covered yet.

Kagome just stared back at me for a second. Then she finally ventured a guess. "You're wondering if…Inuyasha can trace this demon by smell…with the marks on your neck as a focus?"

_Close enough._ I nodded, blinking again. Keeping my eyes open that big used to leave my eyes sore afterwards. Nowadays, though…I think I'm getting used to it.

Kagome didn't actually answer the question. She just looked at Inuyasha and asked, "What do you think, Inuyasha?"

"Huh. I noticed it on her after months had passed, so of course I could trace it." Then he just walked over to me and leaned close to my neck. If I hadn't been so darn sure he was on my side, I'd have been nervous over his fangs being that close to my neck. I felt, rather than heard, him sniff. Then he walked over to the well and started sniffing around it instead.

"Well," he finally said, "it did come back through the well."

_Whew. Or is it "whew"? At least if it's over here, then we can kill it without being accused of murder._

Running around a little in circles, he found its direction. When he got a few paces, though, he suddenly stopped. "And here is where it suddenly shifted form. The smell's different."

I shrugged. Then I tapped my watch, held my arms out wide, and shrugged again, faking looking around.

Kagome guessed. "Um…after this long, there's no point in trying to follow by scent?"

I shook my head, tapping the well's edge where Inuyasha had sniffed. Then I almost tried to go more complicated, but then instead held my hand out to Kagome. It was easier to just trace my words into her hand.

She knew what I wanted – this wasn't the first time I'd done this. Giving me her hand, I started "writing," and she started saying what I was writing. "No point in trying to follow by scent from this trail; its several months old. By the time we find where it went, it could be somewhere else entirely. Better that we just stay on the alert for it."

Sango nodded. "A good point. So now what?"

I shrugged again and leaned on Kagome. She translated my casual signal. "She's suggesting she just stays with us for a while until we actually find it."

Shippo suddenly added, "Well, if you're staying, then you've gotta know about Naraku."

_Naraku?_ I stared at him with wide eyes.

By now, they'd all gotten the hang of me using enormous eyes to signify a question – it was kind of obvious, after all. "Naraku's this really nasty demon. He can change his shape into whatever he wants to, and he's after the Shikhon jewel shards we've got. Plus, he wants to kill us."

_Why aren't I surprised?_ My expression quickly became sardonic, with one eyebrow cocked. Kagome laughed at my face, but not like she thought it was funny. Then I held out my arms with a shrug.

"What's this have to do with you?" Kagome repeated my question – I'd asked that before. "Well, you're not as familiar with defending yourself, so he might try to use you to try to get at us, or something like that."

I dropped into a squat, set my elbows on my knees, and batted my eyes up at Kagome, a grin spreading over my face. _What, little ol' me?_

"It's not funny, Lori! I'm being serious about this!"

I fell backward so I was lying down, and then just randomly held my hand up. If someone wanted to know what I felt like saying, they'd take my hand.

Miroku did, using his left hand. Half-shrugging, I started tracing only two words.

"Occupational…hazard." Then he looked at Kagome, while I pulled my hand free again and set it behind my head. "What does that mean?"

"It means she doesn't care that there's danger." Kagome sighed. "Get up, we're going."

* * *

Shippo decided to ride on my shoulder. I'd taken to pointing at the people we were walking with and staring at him, and he was the one who told me that:

Sango was a demon-hunter, who'd lost her family to Naraku,

Miroku had a curse inflicted on his grandfather by Naraku, which made his right hand into a black hole,

And Inuyasha had a charm on him that slammed him into the ground every time Kagome said "Sit." I reflexively started laughing when Shippo told me about that, even though no sound came out, and Inuyasha glared back at us.

Sure enough, I was right when I "said" "Occupational hazard": we'd barely been walking for an hour before a large demon with tentacles attacked us! It had a long neck, and it was saying something about Naraku!

I'd hopped backwards to stay out of their way and guard Kagome's bag, while they fought it. But after about five minutes, it had all of them in its tentacles!

"_**Naraku will be very pleased to have all of you out of his way. Now I can take your jewel shards…**_" his attention fell on me, "_**…And have a snack as well!**_" He lunged at me –

I screamed soundlessly, my eyes tight shut, for about a minute straight before fainting.


	3. A High Pitched Scream

_**A High Pitched Scream**_

* * *

_**Lori**_

_Unh…what happened?_ I sat up, shaking my head groggily and holding out my hand for someone, _anyone_ to take so that I could ask my question.

A male hand without claws slipped under mine. _Miroku. Figures._ I stopped shaking my head and wrote my question.

"What happened?" Miroku repeated.

Kagome answered me. "You beat the demon."

I jerked my hand from Miroku's and stared at Kagome in shock. _Me?_

"Yes, you."

Shippo broke in. "You really did scream – really, really loudly – at least, any demon that heard you thought so. It knocked that demon out!"

I stared at him instead. I just couldn't think of what to say. I'd beaten the thing, just by screaming? My scream had turned into a dog-whistle?

_Dog…wait…what about Inuyasha?_ I turned towards Kagome again and held my hands up like they were ears.

"Um…how's Inuyasha?" After I nodded, she told me, "He's fine. He hadn't been able to cover his ears like Shippo had, so your scream knocked him out, too."

_He's not going to be very happy with me._ Then it hit me: that demon had been lunging at me when I'd screamed…it had just about everyone in its tentacles…I had fainted after my minute of screaming, and I'd knocked that thing out, but it still had all its momentum…

_How did I get out of that without getting crushed?_ I got up, wobbled, and caught Kagome's arm.

"Wha – wait, slow down, start over…" She 'listened,' and repeated, "'Who saved me?' That was Shippo. He'd been hiding when the demon attacked, he covered his ears when you screamed, and then he saw the demon falling towards you and saved you after shifting into me." She glanced at Shippo in amusement. "I've never seen myself move that fast."

I was suddenly very glad that Kagome had filled in the others on my basic communication methods, because now they'd know exactly what I was saying with my next move.

I ran the few steps needed to Shippo, dropped to one knee, and pulled the little fox-boy into my arms in a hug. _Thank you, Shippo._

"Um…you're welcome."

"Grr…" I set Shippo down and glanced at Inuyasha as he started moving from where they'd left him. "What hit me?"

Miroku answered that one. "Miss Lori's scream did, Inuyasha."

As Inuyasha's yellow-eyed glare focused on me, I tried my best to look sheepish. I really hadn't meant to knock him out.

I blinked, and Inuyasha was in front of me! Before I could jump backwards, he grabbed hold of my scarf. "Don't ever do that again," he growled.

I didn't take my eyes from his, but praying Inuyasha could read, I set my fingers against his hand and started tracing letters.

Well, he noticed, anyway. He stopped looking at my face and instead started looking at our hands. Then he finally started saying what I was writing. "Much… as… I… would… like… to… promise… that, in… this… world… I… might… have… to… do… that… again. I… can… promise… to… give… you… warning."

I blinked at him. _Is that good enough?_

He looked back at my face again and just studied it for a second. Then he sighed and let go of my scarf.

I sighed too – with relief.

* * *

We set off again after a meal. I hadn't been out that long, and we hadn't really moved from where the demon attacked us. I did eventually "ask" Sango where we were going.

"Mostly we're trying to find signs of Naraku. He has to be stopped before he hurts anyone else."

_Oh._

Once or twice while we were walking, I thought I noticed something nearby, following near us. It was never something as obvious as a form, nothing I could actually bring up to the others.

It did make me wonder, though…who or what else had heard my high-pitched, dog-whistle scream.

* * *

**A/N: We don't find out who's following them until a couple chapters later.**


	4. Corny Conversations, A New Lead

**_Corny Conversations, A New Lead_**

* * *

_**Lori**_

When we stopped again, this time at a village, Miroku got us into a pretty wealthy place by pretending that it needed, um…exorcising? I'm not familiar with what he does.

We were all sitting in a rough circle on the floor inside, just…talking. I'd ended up somehow next to Inuyasha. Kagome had already explained to everyone that when I needed something said, I wasn't picky over who I traced words on, so "just go with it," she'd glared at Inuyasha.

The conversation eventually drifted over to the silence demon, and how we were going to go about killing it and returning my voice.

"Remember," Sango warned us, "whoever kills the thing gets Lori's voice, and will have to kiss her to give it back."

I curled up uncomfortably. Shippo noticed. "Hey, Lori, is something wrong? You look kind of nervous."

I waved my hand at him, forcing a smile. _It's nothing, really._

I shouldn't have tried that with Kagome in the room. "It's not 'nothing,' Lori, I've seen that face. Come on, out with it."

With a sigh, I started tracing letters on Inuyasha's hand. He watched my hand for a minute, letting me 'finish the sentence', and then just said bluntly, "She's never been kissed."

Kagome slapped her forehead. "Of course – I should have figured that out myself! You," she pointed at me, "you never had a boyfriend at school," I started nodding, "…and you've always been nervous about doing something you've never done before!"

I let my head hang after my final set of nods. I could feel my face starting to flush.

"Well," Miroku sounded like he was trying to sound like he was thinking out loud, and only half-succeeding (the other half was eager), "would you feel any better about it if you practiced?"

I lifted my head again and, with my face completely neutral, started tracing words on Inuyasha's hand again. Having no voice is annoying.

Almost as soon as I finished writing, Inuyasha rolled over away from me, laughing.

"What?" Kagome protested, "What did she say?"

He pointed at Miroku and gasped, his eyes wide with mirth and a big smile on his face, "Only in your dreams, Miroku!"

I sat back and smirked at the nonplussed expression on Miroku's face while everyone else started laughing. _What, you thought I hadn't noticed that, you pervert? Just because I can't talk, doesn't mean I don't notice things!_

Of course, something did occur to me before everybody calmed down. Rather than wait for Inuyasha to get his breath back, I crawled over to Miroku – who was playing up 'wounded dignity' – and grabbed his hand. _This is no doubt one of the few times I'll voluntarily go for Miroku's hand._

Miroku 'listened' as I wrote my question, and then he got Sango's attention while I went back to my cushion. "Lori wants to know just how tough this silence demon is likely to be while wearing her form."

That got everyone's attention, and they waited for the answer.

"Well…if she – we'll call it a 'she,' since it's wearing Lori's face right now – had to fight while in Lori's form, she wouldn't be able to do that much, since Lori never learned how to fight." She looked at me for confirmation of that, and I signed, with Kagome translating, _I'm more likely to run than fight._ "But…when a silence demon is using a voice, it does find ways to destroy its victims. What is known is that, once a silence demon is confronted with a threat to itself, it starts shifting to its true form again, which can take on other full demons and hold its own."

I shivered. _Now I _really_ know I can't kill the thing myself._ Then suddenly, something else hit me, and I started looking for writing tools and paper.

"What is it, Lori?" Sango called after me, sounding worried.

Kagome was on the ball. "You need to write something! Here, I'll help you look!"

We finally came up with a scroll, a pen and ink. I sat down and started writing. Figuring out exactly how to work with that kind of pen took some doing, but I finally got the hang of it.

* * *

_**Kagome**_

When Lori was done with whatever she was writing, she passed the scroll to me – with her right hand: her left hand was totally covered in ink.

She'd written up a list, of everyone in our group and her opinion of having to kiss any of them.

_Kagome – may be my friend, but she's a GIRL._ I could see that; Lori isn't gay.

_Sango – see Kagome._

_Kirara – effectively, a cat, and I don't kiss pets._ She really doesn't.

_Shippo – um…does he even kill things? That being said, he's too young._ Well, Shippo tends to run and hide when danger comes – he doesn't actually fight.

_Miroku – would probably enjoy it too much._ He would, at that. Lori figured him out pretty quickly.

_Inuyasha – … … …_

I looked at Lori. She looked…uncertain.

"So what did she write, Kagome?" Sango asked.

"She effectively said that…Inuyasha's the only person she's willing to go through this with."

Lori nodded, glancing at Inuyasha again. I'd finally placed that look: it was almost her "he's totally amazing, and therefore he scares me" face.

_**Lori**_

"Lori, could I talk to you outside?"

I shrugged and followed Kagome out. Probably the reason she wanted to talk _outside_ was because of Inuyasha's ears. I also figured I knew why she wanted to talk at all.

Once the door was shut, she turned towards me. Before she could say anything, I held up my right hand. Then I held that hand towards her.

After a moment of hesitation, she set her hand under mine, and I started 'talking.' _I have no romantic interest in Inuyasha. The reason I wanted to have him be the one to return my voice to me is because I could think of reasons that I didn't want the others to. Inuyasha ended up the choice by default. If you want him, you can have him – he's too stubborn for me. He's just the most likely person to best the demon that has my voice, and therefore the most likely person to return my voice with a kiss._

Then I took my hand off hers and held out my ink-stained left hand, eyes wide. _Do we have a deal?_

She studied me another moment. Then she grinned and accepted my hand. "Deal!" Of course, then she stopped smiling. "If you ever tell Inuyasha about me, I will shoot you."

I lifted my right hand and 'zipped' my lips together, my eyes sparkling with laughter. _My lips are sealed, and I can't talk anyway!_

The owner of the house came around the corner and just stared at me. I hadn't been noticed the last time I saw this guy, but now I was being confronted with him, and being quiet for months gave me lots of practice in reading expressions.

He was horrified. Plainly horrified. Like maybe…he'd seen me before in another context?

I tugged Kagome's hand and traced, _Ask landlord: has he seen me before?_

Kagome turned around. "Um…have you seen my friend before?"

"Not in those clothes, no…but she has come by."

I reached up and pulled my scarf away from my neck. That alone relaxed the guy – sort of. "Suddenly, what had happened a month ago makes sense: she came through the village singing, and my son followed her out."

Suddenly, I felt very, very guilty. It wasn't even _me_, and I _still _felt guilty!

Kagome took charge. "Which way was she going?"

"She went out the north gate, and she was walking. She couldn't have gotten to the mountains yet – voice-stealers aren't that fast when using a human form."

"Thank you, sir. We'll follow her in the morning."


	5. A Single Complication

**_A Single...Complication_**

* * *

_**Lori**_

We all set off in the morning. Practically as soon as we left the village – village, or was it a town? – Anyway, as soon as we left the walls, I thought I saw something in the trees nearby. It almost looked like a person.

I remembered catching glimpses of this thing, if it was the same thing, ever since that time when I screamed. Now that I'd gotten a better glimpse of it, I could get someone else's opinion on it. I took another couple steps and tapped Kagome's shoulder.

I'd snapped her out of a good argument with Inuyasha. "What is it, Lori?"

I pointed off into the trees, and then started acting a tad like…I don't know, a cat or maybe a wolf, stalking around the group.

She guessed, "Um…you saw something watching us?"

I nodded. Then I added a couple extra signs: miming out the time I screamed, tapping my forehead, pointing to my eyes, and pointing out into the trees.

"You…um…ever since you had that victory against that demon…"

"Huh."

"Well, it _was_ a victory, Inuyasha, considering she knocked it out! Um…since then, you've thought you've seen something in the trees…"

I got Sango walking a little bit and very obviously followed her, giving Kagome an eyebrow cock.

"…Something following us?"

I nodded and quit the act. Then I shrugged, tapped my ears, and tapped my throat.

"And you think maybe something else heard your scream?"

I shrugged once again. _How am I supposed to know?_

"If something is following us because of your scream," Miroku said slowly, "then it would have to be a half-demon at best."

_And at worst,_ I thought with a shudder, _it's another demon._

* * *

We went on in silence for a while, Inuyasha and Shippo riding with Kagome on her bike (Shippo in the basket and Inuyasha balanced in back) and me riding with Miroku and Sango on Kirara. This way was keeping us in decent speed, and hopefully we'd catch up to the silence-demon today.

Glancing out at the trees that were flying quickly by, I suddenly blinked in surprise. I couldn't see it very well, but something was keeping pace with us! All I could see of it, when I saw it at all, was something white and furry!

I shivered and gripped the person in front of me tighter. Then I loosened my grip a little again – I was behind Miroku, and I didn't want him getting any ideas.

After a while longer, I thought I spotted something ahead. I gripped Miroku's shoulder with one hand and, with the other, started writing on his back.

"Ah…Sango, could you ask Kirara to fly higher for a minute?"

"Sure."

We lifted off higher, and I looked down – way down. Fighting off a brief spurt of vertigo, I stared hard. There! A moving brown spot with white and red moving around it!

I wrote on Miroku's back, _we found it! Straight ahead!_

We all ended up reaching her at the same time. She was wearing a red skirt and white shirt, styled like most of the outfits in this place. But when she turned around…

It was like looking in a mirror…almost. There was something different about her eyes. She definitely seemed more sinister, for all that at this moment she was trying to act innocent.

Plus, there was this dark stain on her left sleeve…like she kept using it to wipe her mouth clean of…

_I feel sick._

Then she noticed me. And she got a most wicked smile on her face. "So. You actually found me." I hated what my voice sounded like through her.

I wrinkled my nose at her and said aloud, though I knew I couldn't be heard, "You cheap copy."

"Cheap copy?" she repeated, almost indignantly. "I'm using your voice more effectively than you ever did!"

Before I could recover from the fact that she'd apparently understood what I'd said, Inuyasha remarked, "Well, I'm sorry, Miss Double, but your traveling concert's at an end!"

I stepped back and let Inuyasha leap forward to combat her.

Almost as soon as he leaped, she changed form – not completely, you could still tell it used to look like me – but now she had fangs, skeletal hands with clawed fingertips, and glowing yellow eyes!

And…Inuyasha had his own clawed hands full. She was actually moving faster than he was, and every swing he made with that sword was missing her by a mile!

Miroku walked up behind me and set his hand on my back. How'd I know it was Miroku, when I wasn't even looking at him? Well…two reasons. One, his hands are distinctive as belonging to the only near-adult human male in the group, and two, it was awfully low on my back for what was supposed to be a comforting, reassuring touch.

* * *

Inuyasha ended up pinned, and she was clearly going to do him in when suddenly –

A white blur launched from the trees and tackled her off of him! The blur that was the new combatants was moving too quickly for me to make out any details, so I walked over to Inuyasha and caught hold of his hand, doing two things at once: helping him to his feet, and writing: "What is that? Did you see it well enough, or whatever?"

He growled a little as he went to retrieve his sword. "I didn't _see_ it well enough, but I know _that_ stench anywhere. That's my beloved brother Sesshomaru." He sounded sarcastic.

_He has a brother?_ I stared at him.

Inuyasha noticed and amended, guessing my thoughts, "Half-brother, actually. We had the same father."

_Oh._

The conversation abruptly ended when suddenly the silence demon's ugly head rolled over to us, losing its appearance of me in the process. And a white mist lifted from the head and the body, condensed together, and then throttled itself down the surprised – if his expression was anything to go by – victor's throat!

_Oh snap._

* * *

**A/N: Complication is an understatement! ^_^**


	6. Ultimate Shock

**_Ultimate Shock_**

* * *

_**Lori**_

Sesshomaru fell back, coughing.

"Careful!" Miroku called anxiously. "If you speak, you'll be trapped with that voice forever!"

The demon waved a hand at Miroku; I'd used that gesture often enough myself to recognize it as "I know."

I took this time to study him. He wore a kimono, like everyone else in this crazy world, but his was white with some random patterns. He also wore spiked armor on his chest and one shoulder, and over his other shoulder was something that looked like a furry scarf. His hair was almost identical to Inuyasha's, in length and in color, but his ears were almost human – the difference was that they were pointed. There were also markings on his face: a crescent moon on his forehead, and a couple stripes on each side of his face.

Then he looked at me. His eyes were narrower, but looked otherwise just like Inuyasha's.

Speaking of Inuyasha, right around there he started laughing. "My brother, the human-hater! Now he has to kiss a human or be stuck with a human's voice!"

Sesshomaru and I both glared at him.

Then the half-demon started pushing me forwards! "Go on, Lori!" he laughed.

I tried to brace my heels, twisted around until my hand hit his chest, and wrote, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm enjoying this!" One final shove, and I fell against Sesshomaru, who had to move to catch me before I hit the ground. (His fingernails were claws, just like Inuyasha's, though maybe they were a tad longer.)

_Inuyasha, I do believe I hate you._

I looked up at Sesshomaru and shrugged. _Might as well get it over with._ My heart was pounding so hard I wouldn't have been surprised if he could hear it.

He sighed in resignation, glaring over my head. Then he caught hold of my chin and kissed me full on the lips.

To say I felt a jolt would have been an understatement. Whatever it was, it surged all through me, though it especially tingled at my throat and neck. I wasn't really thinking straight during that kiss. I know that somehow, I ended up answering it. I could only imagine what it looked like from outside.

I'm not sure who broke it off, but I was gasping for breath. So was he, and he looked stunned.

_Was I going to say something? I have my voice back, don't I? What was I going to say?_

"I…" Sesshomaru spoke up, still staring at me, "…wasn't expecting _that_."

I shrugged back. Then I noticed that Inuyasha was still laughing and looked over my shoulder at him.

_You piece of – no. No, I won't have the first thing I say be something mean._ I looked back at Sesshomaru and said, carefully, "Thank you."

And everyone heard it.

While my friends were cheering for me, I pulled my scarf off and lifted my chin. "Sesshomaru, are the marks gone from my neck?" I actually figured they were – pulling the scarf off hadn't hurt for once – but it was nice to be sure.

"Yes…Lori. They're gone."

I glanced up at him and noticed that he was starting to fidget a little. "What's on your mind?"

He looked somewhat surprised. "What?"

"You look uncomfortable. Does it have anything to do with the fact that I'm a human?" When confronted with a dangerous creature, be blunt. Either they'll answer you straight, or they'll attack.

He blinked at me for a second. Then he looked over my head at my friends. "Can…I speak with you away from…them?"

I cocked my head and thought about that, holding up a hand to forestall their protests. "Swear that you'll return me to them unharmed, and yes."

Sesshomaru took a deep breath. "I swear by my father's grave that I'll return you to your companions unharmed." Then he took a step back, holding his hand out towards me.

I hesitated. Then I took his hand, expecting something to happen quickly.

It did: the dog demon pulled me into his arms and sprang off into the cliffs. Getting some distance between the two of us and my friends, maybe?

* * *

We reached a ledge and he set me down. Then he sat down next to me.

"Let me guess," I started the conversation, "you didn't want to say what was making you uncomfortable in front of Inuyasha?"

"True." Then he sat back a little. "It's just…I couldn't believe it, about my father taking a human for a wife. But…"

I sat back as well. "I was on the receiving end of that kiss, you know. I know what _I_ felt, but what happened to _you_?" I was actually guessing that was what was bothering him, but I wanted it confirmed.

"It was…unlike anything I'd ever felt. I did feel a drain, which was your voice leaving me, but it was just…" He set his hand against his chest and gripped his shirt.

I guessed, remembering what I'd felt. "It almost felt like your heart was going to grow so large it wouldn't fit in your chest?"

He stared at me. "Yes! You felt that, too?"

I nodded. "I doubt it's exactly a strictly-human or strictly-demon thing."

"Then you know what it is?"

I hesitated. "I wouldn't go _that_ far…"

"At least you have a guess." Judging by the intense look he was giving me, he really wanted to hear it.

Trouble was that I wasn't sure I wanted to voice it. Inuyasha had called him a "human-hater." Finally, I decided to trust his vow and just tell him. "I think it's that we have some kind of attraction. To each other, I mean."

He stared at me. Then he pointed at himself. "_I_…" his finger twitched to point at me, "…have an attraction to _you_?"

I shrugged. "It's all _I_ can think of. And I don't hear _you_ coming up with something else."

He opened his mouth, and then shut it again.

"If that's all – wait," I stared at him. "You already knew that, didn't you? And that's why you're uncomfortable, because you're seeing Inuyasha's parents happening all over again!"

Then Sesshomaru…blushed. And looked away from me. "That…and I can't take you seriously with that hair."

I pulled my hair bands out and shook down my pigtails. I'd been wearing my hair in pigtails ever since the silence demon incident, because it was easier to make sure two ponytails on either side didn't get pinned down by a scarf than one in the back. "Ow! I'd been wearing my hair up like that for so long that having it down hurts!" I tried to smooth my hair down again, but it just wouldn't.

Then I felt claws touch against my scalp and trace down, pulling through my hair. _Sesshomaru?_

After a minute or two of this, my head started feeling normal again, and I sighed in relief.

Sesshomaru turned me to face him, and I got another shock. His expression was actually kind! He'd been half-scowling the whole time before the kiss!

"You…you're beautiful!"

I stared back at him. Then I glanced off the way we'd come. "Kagome's probably freaking out by now. We ought to go back."

"Probably." Then he stood up and held out a hand to me.

I accepted it, and he pulled me easily to my feet. Before we went back, though, he did give me one more kiss.

* * *

**A/N: Readers, let me know if I should add another chapter to this. I'm considering calling it a done fanfic, mainly because I'm running out of ideas to add.**

**A/N 2: If I don't get any reviews that tell me to write another chapter before I get back from a month-long vacation, then I'll call this fic done. Final date for request: July 17.**


	7. Now What?

**_Now What?_**

* * *

_**Lori**_

We got back to my friends. I was at least partly right, Kagome was starting to get worried about me.

"So…" Miroku asked slowly, "now what?"

That silenced all of us for a full minute. I was fighting a strong urge to giggle. We'd been so focused on getting my voice back that we hadn't thought about what would happen next!

Then Kagome stated, "Her parents think she's dead."

"How'd she pull that off?" Sango asked.

I shrugged. "Ran away, leaving behind some sappy note about a boy I could never have – and who doesn't exist," I added hurriedly, glancing at Sesshomaru. "I just figured that was a tried-and-true story my parents would believe. I didn't fit in with everyone anymore, and I couldn't accept my voice being gone." I was babbling. It had been so long since I'd last been able to talk, that now I was babbling. I felt my face getting hot. Still, there was one last thing I had to say. "And…even now that my voice is back…I don't want to go back."

"Don't want to?" Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru had all spoken at the same time; Kagome was pure question, Inuyasha sounded disbelieving, and Sesshomaru sounded…some mix between stunned and excited.

I just shook my head. "I don't…want to explain to my parents why I pretended suicide, or how my voice mysteriously disappeared and just as mysteriously came back. At best, they wouldn't believe me; at worst, they'd think I'd gone mad."

"And what other option is there, anyway?" Kagome asked. "I mean, you can't stay _here,_ you're not used to this kind of life!"

"Oh…" I shrugged again. "Give me a couple weeks worth of instruction, and I can manage."

"You're sure about that? There _are_ demons here, after all, and I can count the ones that actually like humans as something other than a snack on one hand."

I sighed and stared at the sky. "If I can't manage to find some method of survival that's unorthodox, yet effective, then my name isn't Lorinda."

"I thought your name was Lori," Miroku sounded confused.

"No, that's my nickname."

"Lorinda," Sesshomaru said out loud, almost as if trying out the taste of the name.

I was actually displaying an unusual amount of bravado with that line; I didn't have any idea how I would avoid the man-eating demons.

Well…I had one. The only problem with it was…no, there were two problems with it. One, I was so out of practice with using words to ask people – and I hadn't been that good at it even _before_ I lost my voice – that I couldn't ask, and two…

The idea was having Sesshomaru look out for me. And he's…I barely _know_ him!

Then Sesshomaru surprised all of us. "I…suppose I could watch out for you."

I stared at him. So did everyone else.

_I suppose next he's going to propose marriage to me in front of Inuyasha. That'd just tear it for his acting like anyone else is expecting._ I sincerely doubted that he'd actually _propose_; he barely knew _me_, either.

"If you really want to," I said slowly, "then you could watch out for me while I stay here. Though…that's generally an easier task…if we had the same house." I felt like an idiot right after I finished speaking – I almost sounded like Miroku, in his vaguest attempt at seduction!

He just…looked at me. And there was something about his eyes…

He didn't think I was an idiot for my statement! More than that, I think he agreed with me!

"I don't see how that would be a problem," Sesshomaru finally said.

Kagome choked, and Inuyasha made a rude noise that sounded suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh.

I stared at him for a minute. I just…couldn't think of anything to say to that. Finally, I asked, "Do you have a place you stay? I mean, it's not like I have a place as such here, and, um…"

The dog-demon set a claw gently against my lips, silencing me. "Let us say, I know of a place you can stay. You can receive training on how to survive in this world, and by that point, I'll have found a…" Then he seemed at a loss for the correct words.

I moved his hand away from my mouth and suggested, "Home for us both?"

"Love nest?" Inuyasha suggested snidely.

"Inuyasha," Kagome glared at him, "_sit!_"

I giggled as the half-demon crashed into the ground. That was the first time, amazingly, that I'd seen that!

Sesshomaru played up wounded dignity for a second. Then he said, in a voice so quiet I almost didn't hear it (not an actual whisper, but very close), "That was actually in part what I had in mind."

I whispered back, barely able to believe it, "_His_ comment?"

His only answer was a barely-perceptible nod.

Then I wondered, as my face got hot, why I'd had trouble believing that was in his thoughts. He was a _demon,_ for crying out loud – they probably, um, get laid on a regular basis!

"I'm…" I finally managed to get out, "not sure…um. How did we even get on this subject?"

Kagome started laughing, and so did Inuyasha from the floor. By now, I was probably a beautiful shade of scarlet.

"If you need time to think," Sesshomaru said quickly, finally noticing my discomfort, "you can have all the time you need."

"I don't mind sharing the same house," I answered, just as quickly. "Just…" I glanced at Miroku, and decided to borrow and alter the line he'd used on me on the road before we ran into the tentacle demon. "I'd rather…bear the child…of someone I was married to." Then I stared at my shoes, hoping I hadn't blown something.

As of right now, the only thing bursting was my eardrums: Shippo and Sango were laughing, too. Well, that was almost exactly the same thing I'd written on the last of my paper to Miroku in answer to his question.

Sesshomaru's clawed hand reached into my line of vision and took hold of one of my hands. "I'll need some time to think myself…but Lorinda…"

I looked up at his use of my full name.

"If you're willing to wait, would you even consider marrying me?"

_This isn't happening._ I stared at him. By now, everyone had stopped laughing, in shock that the human-hater had just all but proposed to me.

I took a deep breath and met his yellow eyes. "At the risk of sounding absolutely sappy…I'd wait forever if I had to."

In the whole time he'd been standing here, I'd never seen him look so happy. Then he got his composure back and…ordered, I suppose the word is…my friends, "Take her to Kaede's, and see to it that she's taught well." Then he leaped off, a smile creeping onto his face again.

I waved after him, feeling happier than I'd ever been in my life.

* * *

**A/N: The End? Well...not quite.**


	8. A Happy Ending

**_Epilogue; A Happy Ending_**

* * *

_Two months later_

_**Lori**_

I stood in front of Kaede's doorway, now dressed as one of the villagers, watching the sky. I'd learned all that I could about this place from the old lady, and I'd seen Kagome, Inuyasha, and Sesshomaru periodically. Sesshomaru hadn't appeared yet, but my friends were in the neighborhood. Miroku had volunteered to marry the two of us, should that be the course of action we chose.

He'd volunteered that a month ago. We'd both decided that we wanted to go through with it.

I wasn't exactly dressed for a wedding, but considering that Sesshomaru was going to effectively carry me off right after the ceremony, it didn't matter.

A spot of white in the air became my husband-to-be, and he landed near Miroku.

I walked over, and went through the ceremony in a sort of daze; a daze where I went through the motions and said the correct words, and that I only snapped out of when Miroku said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."

That kiss, if anything, was even _more_ wonderful than the last one!

"Promise you'll try to keep contact?" Kagome asked as we were getting ready to leave.

"Are you kidding? Of _course_ I'll find ways!" I laughed. Then I turned to Sesshomaru. "Um, could you get me up onto that roof for a minute?" I pointed at Kaede's rooftop, where Inuyasha was perched and pretending disinterest.

He vaulted up, carrying me. Then I carefully walked over to the half-demon. "Inuyasha?"

"Hm?" Well, he looked at me, at least.

"Thank you. If you hadn't scented the marks on my neck, I'd never have ended up here." And I held out my hand.

He studied me for a second. Then he stood up, turned around – way too at-ease for someone on a rooftop – and shook my hand, actually managing to crack a smile.

Then I walked back over to Sesshomaru. "Okay, _now_ I'm ready to go."

He jumped off the roof without me and turned into a large white dog on the ground. I leaped onto his back and held on, and we ran off together.

* * *

**The End**


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